Viet Khe - Dating and Analysis

Dating and Analysis

Three radiocarbon dating figures have been ascertained from the coffin wood at Viet Khe. Taking into account the possibility that already long dead trees were used for constructing the coffins, archaeologists have estimated the age of the Viet Khe artefacts to be between 300 BCE and 500 BCE, which would place the Viet Khe site among the earlier of the Dong Son burial sites.

This is consistent with the impressions of the specimens by the archaeologists, who noted that despite the large quantity of material, they specimens were generally not intricately decorated, nor was the drum particularly large or detailed in its artwork. The burial site also had little trace of iron, which succeeded the Bronze Age.

Some of the finds also parallel the objects unearthed in Lingnan in southern China, notably, the dinh tripod, the ring-ended paring knife and the bronze sword, as well as the heads of some arrows and spears. These objects are also found at tonggugang in Guangdong and Yinshangling in Guangxi in southern China, sites that were dated to the Warring States period.